Three-dimensional deformation monitoring of internal nodes of large-span suspended dome structure using videogrammetry under camera instability

Abstract

Large-span suspended domes often serve as landmarks for cities or countries. This paper proposes a videogrammetric method for monitoring the 3D deformation of internal key nodes in such structures, even under conditions of camera instability. Utilizing circular targets strategically placed on the measurement area, a dynamic parameter calibration method is developed to estimate the instantaneous position and orientation of cameras relative to the world coordinate system, minimizing camera motion-induced errors. Combined with surface targets on the rigid structure and local coordinate frame transformation, the 3D displacement response of structural internal nodes can be precisely measured using the proposed tracking method. The effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed methods were validated through exhaustive experiments, improving positioning accuracy for the structural internal nodes from 47.24 mm to 1.62 mm after dynamic parameter correction. This methodology offers a low-cost, easily implemented, and non-destructive vision-based solution for the long-term monitoring of large-span suspended domes.